How to authenticate when using Notion MCP? | Friends of the Crustacean 🦞🤝 | Page 1

quick sky Apr 21, 2026, 8:17 PM

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I'm trying to allow my agent to access Notion MCP. What should I do so I can authenticate? I haven't found anything about it anywhere I've looked. Maybe I haven't looked on enough docs?

rocky minnowBOT Apr 21, 2026, 8:17 PM

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wind fieldBOT Apr 21, 2026, 8:17 PM

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rocky minnowBOT Apr 21, 2026, 8:17 PM

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languid berryBOT Apr 21, 2026, 8:19 PM

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Let me verify the MCP docs and the exact auth shape, then I’ll give you the cleanest path.

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You’re probably not missing a doc, I don’t think OpenClaw currently has a built-in auth flow for official Notion MCP.

What I found:

OpenClaw’s MCP config supports:
- remote MCP via url plus optional headers
- stdio MCP via command / args / env
  Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/cli/mcp and https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/secrets
Notion’s hosted MCP (https://mcp.notion.com/mcp) uses user OAuth, and Notion explicitly says it does not support bearer token auth for that hosted server.
Docs: https://developers.notion.com/guides/mcp/get-started-with-mcp

So the mismatch is: OpenClaw documents token/header/env style MCP setup, while Notion’s hosted MCP wants an interactive OAuth login flow.

Practical options:

Use a client that supports Notion MCP OAuth directly (Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, etc.)
Use a token-based/self-hosted Notion MCP server and pass credentials via env/headers to OpenClaw

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Skip MCP and use a Notion API skill/plugin if you want headless automation

Also, if this is an ACP/Codex/Claude session inside OpenClaw, MCP needs to be configured on the gateway/agent side, not per-session.

If you want, paste:

openclaw --version
how you’re running the agent
your MCP config (redact secrets)

and I can help you pick the least painful setup.

quick sky Apr 21, 2026, 8:24 PM

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OpenClaw doesn't support OAuth?

languid berryBOT Apr 21, 2026, 8:25 PM

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Yeah, basically:

OAuth in general: yes
OpenClaw supports OAuth for model/providers, for example Codex/OpenAI auth and provider plugins.
Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/concepts/oauth
Notion MCP OAuth specifically: I don’t see support documented for that right now
OpenClaw’s MCP docs show remote MCP via url plus optional headers, or stdio via command/env, but not a login / browser OAuth flow for MCP servers.
Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/cli/mcp

That’s the problem with hosted Notion MCP: Notion says it requires user OAuth and does not support bearer-token auth for that hosted endpoint.
Docs: https://developers.notion.com/guides/mcp/get-started-with-mcp

So the short version is:

OpenClaw supports OAuth
OpenClaw does not appear to support Notion’s MCP OAuth flow yet

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If you want this working today, the realistic paths are:

use a client that can do Notion MCP OAuth directly
use a token-based/self-hosted Notion MCP server
use the Notion API via a custom skill/plugin instead of MCP

If you want, I can help sketch the cleanest config for option 2 or 3.

quick sky Apr 21, 2026, 8:26 PM

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I want option 3

languid berryBOT Apr 21, 2026, 8:27 PM

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I’m checking the plugin/skill docs so I don’t point you at the wrong abstraction.

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Nice, I think that’s the sanest path right now.

One important nuance: for real Notion API access, I’d do a plugin + optional skill, not just a skill.

Plugin = actual Notion API calls
Skill = teaches the agent when/how to use those tools

A skill alone is mostly instructions, it does not magically add Notion access.

Recommended first cut:

Build a small tool plugin
Expose only a few safe tools, for example:
- notion_search
- notion_get_page
- notion_create_page
- notion_append_block

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Store the Notion token in env / secret config, not inline
Add a companion skill like “when the user asks about client notes, search Notion first”

Docs:

FAQ note that Notion is not built-in: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq
Build a plugin: https://docs.openclaw.ai/plugins/building-plugins
Create a skill: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/creating-skills
Skills overview: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/skills

If you want, next I can sketch a minimal Notion plugin structure for you.
If you paste openclaw --version, I can make it line up with your installed version.

quick sky Apr 21, 2026, 8:28 PM

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Isn't there an already existing Notion plugin for OpenClaw?

languid berryBOT Apr 21, 2026, 8:29 PM

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Yeah, looks like there are community Notion packages on ClawHub, just not a built-in core OpenClaw integration.

I found these ClawHub entries:

dimagious/notion-skill
Moikapy/openclaw-notion-skill
ivangdavila/notion-api-integration
robansuini/notion-sync

So the distinction is:

Built into OpenClaw core: no
Already exists in the ecosystem: yes, seems so

Docs for installing/searching ClawHub skills: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/clawhub

A good first step is:

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openclaw skills search "notion"

Then inspect the ClawHub page/readme before installing, especially for:

how auth is handled
whether it is a skill only or includes real API tooling
whether it supports the read/write actions you want

If you want, I can help you choose which of those looks most legit.

quick sky Apr 21, 2026, 9:02 PM

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I guess I'm instead going to rely on downloading the pages I need as markdown if that's possible on free Notion. I just wish there were a way to share checklist across agents and sub-agents.

languid berryBOT Apr 21, 2026, 9:03 PM

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Yeah, that’s a pretty reasonable fallback.

On the Notion side, export to Markdown & CSV does exist in their help docs, so page export should be viable. I’m just not 100% sure which workspace-wide export edges differ on free vs admin access.
Notion docs: https://www.notion.so/help/export-your-content

For the shared checklist part, the simplest OpenClaw-native options are:

Same agent + its subagents
Keep a CHECKLIST.md in the agent workspace. Subagents inherit the parent workspace, so they can all read the same file.
Multiple top-level agents
Use either:
- a shared skill in ~/.openclaw/skills for reusable instructions/checklists, or
- memory/wiki if you want it to become searchable knowledge

Docs:

Memory: https://docs.openclaw.ai/concepts/memory

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Memory Wiki: https://docs.openclaw.ai/plugins/memory-wiki
Skills: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/skills

So if your goal is basically “all my helpers should follow the same checklist”, I’d start with a plain CHECKLIST.md or shared skill before reaching for Notion again. It’s a lot less fragile.

quick sky Apr 21, 2026, 9:59 PM

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If I use mcp-remote, would it support OAuth authentication to Notion?

languid berryBOT Apr 21, 2026, 9:59 PM

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Yeah, probably yes. In fact, this is the first thing I’d try.

Why I’m saying that:

Notion’s own MCP docs explicitly show mcp-remote as the fallback for tools that only support stdio
mcp-remote is meant to bridge stdio clients to remote MCP servers with OAuth/auth flows

So the auth would be handled by mcp-remote, not by OpenClaw directly.

The main caveat is:

you still need a human to complete the OAuth flow
if your agent is running headless / remote, the browser callback flow can still be awkward

Notion docs: https://developers.notion.com/guides/mcp/get-started-with-mcp
mcp-remote: https://github.com/geelen/mcp-remote

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So, short version:

OpenClaw alone: not enough for Notion MCP OAuth
OpenClaw + mcp-remote: very likely the right path

If you want, I can help you turn that into the exact mcp.servers.notion config shape for OpenClaw.

quick sky Apr 21, 2026, 10:01 PM

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I installed it through Volta and authenticated. What do I need to do on OpenClaw config to add it?

languid berryBOT Apr 21, 2026, 10:01 PM

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If mcp-remote is already installed and authenticated, the OpenClaw side should just be a stdio MCP server entry.

The config shape is:

{
  mcp: {
    servers: {
      notion: {
        command: "mcp-remote",
        args: ["https://mcp.notion.com/mcp"]
      }
    }
  }
}

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Or via CLI:

openclaw mcp set notion '{"command":"mcp-remote","args":["https://mcp.notion.com/mcp"]}'

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/cli/mcp

One important Volta caveat:

if the OpenClaw gateway service cannot see your Volta PATH, use the full path to the shim instead of just mcp-remote

Example:

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  mcp: {
    servers: {
      notion: {
        command: "/home/you/.volta/bin/mcp-remote",
        args: ["https://mcp.notion.com/mcp"]
      }
    }
  }
}

So basically:

do not add Notion headers/tokens in OpenClaw config
just point OpenClaw at the already-authenticated mcp-remote command

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If it helps, next I can give you the exact command for:

raw openclaw.json, or
openclaw mcp set, whichever you prefer.

Also, if it still doesn’t show up, paste openclaw --version plus:

openclaw mcp show notion --json

and I’ll sanity-check it.

quick sky Apr 21, 2026, 10:02 PM

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Now, how to allow my agent and/or Discord bot to access it?

languid berryBOT Apr 21, 2026, 10:03 PM

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The key thing is: the Discord bot does not access it separately. The agent does, and the Discord bot just forwards messages to that agent.

So the flow is:

Add the MCP server in OpenClaw config
Make sure the gateway can run mcp-remote
Use that agent through Discord

So in practice:

{
  mcp: {
    servers: {
      notion: {
        command: "mcp-remote",

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        args: ["https://mcp.notion.com/mcp"]
      }
    }
  }
}

Important bits:

If you installed via Volta, use the full shim path if needed, for example ~/.volta/bin/mcp-remote
Make sure the gateway runs as the same OS user that authenticated mcp-remote
After adding it, start a fresh session (and if needed restart the gateway)

For Discord, there is usually no separate “allow the bot” toggle. If the Discord thread is routed to the agent that has this MCP config, that agent should be able to use it.

So short version:

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Agent access: yes, via mcp.servers.notion
Discord bot access: indirect only, through that agent

If you want, I can give you the exact openclaw mcp set notion ... command plus the likely Volta-path version.

quick sky Apr 22, 2026, 12:28 AM

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Has a fix been released as a beta version already?

languid berryBOT Apr 22, 2026, 12:30 AM

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I’m checking the repo, I don’t want to guess on a release question.

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I can confirm there are newer betas, latest I can see is v2026.4.19-beta.2.

But I don’t see a clearly documented fix that says “Notion MCP OAuth” or “mcp-remote auth support” specifically.

What I do see in recent beta work is mostly:

Codex OAuth fixes
general MCP transport/tooling work
not a clearly called out Notion remote MCP auth fix

So my honest answer is: maybe, but I can’t verify that a specific fix for your case has shipped already.

If you want, send:

openclaw --version

#How to authenticate when using Notion MCP?